


Man on the Prowl

by ZellieAlmasy



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 11:12:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4302603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZellieAlmasy/pseuds/ZellieAlmasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen is a Loss Prevention Agent trying to catch a thief when he spots Dorian enter his store.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Man on the Prowl

“That one. Right there.” Cullen pivoted one of the security cameras to zoom in on a young man who just entered his store. “He’s going to steal.”  
  
Leliana folded her arms as she sat at the neighboring computer, watching her own monitor as Cullen followed his target with the camera. “What makes you so sure?”  
  
She was usually an excellent judge of character, able to somehow spot a shoplifter before they so much as laid a finger on any merchandise, but Cullen wasn’t about to let his partner’s uncertainty dissuade him from this one. It was a gut feeling that he couldn’t quite describe. “Because. Just look at that moustache.”  
  
“…A moustache.”  
  
“Yes, that moustache practically screams ‘I am a thief.’”  
  
Leliana chuckled in response. “I think you have been watching too many old Western films.”  
  
As Cullen continued following his target on camera, the man lingered in the men’s clothing department, looking throughout various outfits. Before long, Cullen found something new to nit-pick over. “He’s hardly looking at the prices. If he intended to buy any of it, you’d think he’d care about the cost.”  
  
A fair point, but still not enough to convince Leliana. “Are you sure you don’t want to watch him simply because he’s good-looking?”  
  
Cullen couldn’t deny that the man certainly was handsome, but he was more professional than abusing his power to ogle customers. Even still, he could feel his cheeks start to warm at his partner’s suggestion.  
  
Rather than dignify that remark with a response, Cullen suddenly stood from his seat. “Keep the cameras on him. I’m going to the floor.” Before Leliana could protest, he left the office to begin physical surveillance.  
  
The mediocre quality of the cameras would often cause someone to look misleadingly more attractive than in person. As soon as you got up-close, you would immediately see every little flaw that the camera didn’t quite catch. In this case, however, the cameras didn’t do this man justice. Cullen soon realized that this person was much more attractive up-close. The man had bright, silver eyes that stood out even more against the dark color of his perfectly styled hair, accented further by a beauty mark which sat high on the man’s right cheek. Gold rings adorned his fingers, and he was fairly well-dressed, clothes hugging his form just the right way.  
  
None of that mattered, however. If this man was looking to steal, Cullen was going to stop him, good looks be damned.  It was completely Leliana’s fault that he would even consider the other man’s appearance, anyway.  
  
Cullen silently slipped between the racks of clothing, wearing a flannel button-down and jeans to blend in as a typical shopper. He lifted a shirt by the hanger, pretending to examine the garment, but his eyes glanced past the clothing and towards his subject.  The man already had a few clothing items picked out, draped casually over his arm. By the look of the price tags still attached to the items, Cullen could tell that this man had picked clothes from one of the more expensive brands.  
  
This went on for a few minutes, Cullen attempting to stay out of view while keeping an eye on the other man. He picked up a few shirts, himself, to appear as a convincing shopper, but just at the wrong moment, he glanced over at the other man right as he looked back at Cullen. The man simply offered a sly grin and continued about his business.  
  
_Shit, I’ve been made._   Cullen quickly looked away and attempted to put some distance between himself and the man. One look didn’t have to mean game over, just that he’d have to be more careful.  
  
He moved behind a display, attempting to move to a less conspicuous place, but when he finally circled around to his new location, Cullen lost sight of the other man. Silently cursing under his breath, he fumbled around in his pocket for his phone, scrambling to call Leliana in hopes that she never lost him on camera. He had been so focused, he didn’t notice the figure approaching him from the side and was caught completely off-guard as a voice cut in, breaking his focus.  
  
Cullen quickly looked up to see that he was now face-to-face with the very same man he had been following.  
  
“I cannot, in good conscience, walk away without telling you that this,” the man reached for a purple hunk of fabric in Cullen’s arms, “is not your color.”  
  
This had never happened to Cullen before. Whenever someone had figured out they were being followed, they would usually just leave or complain - the latter of which was a reaction mostly by people he wasn’t actually watching, oddly enough. But they would never engage him in actual conversation. It seemed that this man actually believed Cullen to be a genuine shopper.  
  
Caught off-guard by the sudden approach, Cullen stared blankly for a moment as he attempted to come up with a response, only to settle on an awkward, “Oh. Thank you?”  
  
“My name is Dorian, by the way,” the man finally identified himself. He placed the shirt on a nearby rack and extended his arm for a handshake. “Dorian Pavus.”  
  
After a moment of hesitation, Cullen accepted Dorian's hand. “Cullen.” He was still on the clock, after all, and wasn't entirely comfortable giving his full name at his place of work, even if Dorian was unaware of that fact.  
  
“Well then, _Cullen,_ you were lucky I noticed you when I did.” Something about the way he spoke Cullen's name brought butterflies to the Loss Prevention Agent's stomach. “Just think of the tragedy if you actually decided to buy that ugly scrap of fabric attempting to pass as a shirt.”  
  
“Yes...” He agreed, tentatively going along with this. “I suppose you're right.”  
  
Dorian held up a finger as if to say, “Hold on,” then began to dig a scrap of old receipt paper out of one of his pockets. “I don't suppose you'd have a pen on you?”  
  
As luck would have it, Cullen did happen to have one in his pocket. He often kept one on hand, just in case he needed to take note on anything while he walked the salesfloor. Despite his confusion, Cullen saw no harm in handing over the pen, and Dorian quickly jotted a note onto the receipt, then handed both the paper and pen back to Cullen.  
  
“My cell number,” Dorian explained. “In case you ever need further rescuing from bad fashion choices.”  
  
By the tone of voice, Cullen had the feeling that Dorian meant to imply more than a simple shopping trip. Being a fairly good-looking man, he's had plenty of people make advances on him to recognize what that looks like. Normally, he would politely decline, but receiving the phone number of a potential shoplifter was the last thing Cullen expected.  
  
Before he could say anything, Dorian continued, “It was good to meet you, Cullen.” He flashed one last smile before turning away and walking towards the checklanes.  
  
Cullen remained distant, but kept an eye on Dorian as he paid for all the clothing. So Leliana was right after all. As Dorian finally left the store, Cullen returned to the office.  
  
“What was that?” Leliana asked, not sure what she just watched. “You spoke with him?”  
  
“He gave me his phone number,” Cullen stated with a very obviously confused tone.  
  
“You can't be serious,” she gasped, but Cullen handed her the slip of receipt paper to prove that this wasn't a joke. “Are you going to call him? You must at least send him a text message.”  
  
Cullen awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn't planning on it.”  
  
“And yet you haven't thrown away his number.”  
  
This was far from something Cullen would usually do, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't at least thought about it. Still, he protested, “It wouldn't be professional.”  
  
“He obviously doesn't know you work here,” Leliana countered with a heavy sigh. “Stop trying to talk yourself out of this.”  
  
Seeing that arguing would be futile, Cullen relented with a simple, “We'll see,” and sat back down at his computer to continue his work. Leliana smiled to herself as she watched him slide Dorian's phone number back into his pocket.  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
“Happy Anniversary,” Cullen announced, handing Dorian a rectangular package.  
  
Dorian clucked his tongue at Cullen. “I thought we agreed no gifts this year?” As he accepted the package, he handed a smaller box back to Cullen. “It's all very well, because it seems we are both terrible at keeping our promises.”  
  
“You first,” Cullen urged, eagerly watching the other man.  
  
“If you insist.” Dorian carefully pulled off the wrapping, not wanting to make a mess. He lifted the cardboard lid to reveal what had to be the ugliest purple shirt he had seen in his entire life.  
  
“Remember, the day we first met...”  
  
“How could I forget? I thought I would never again see a shirt quite as hideous, yet you have managed the impossible.”  
  
The original purple shirt in question had gone clearance years ago, shortly after their first encounter. Cullen searched every department store in a fifty mile radius before he could find a similarly gaudy shirt.  
  
“I hope you remembered more than just the shirt.”  
  
“I do vaguely recall a strapping young man making eyes at me while I shopped for new clothes,” Dorian smirked.  
  
“Ah,” Cullen hesitated. “About that.”  
  
By now, Dorian was well aware of Cullen's profession, but Cullen never quite got around to mentioning certain details about how they met. As Dorian quirked an eyebrow, Cullen lowered his eyes in guilt. “I was following you,” he continued, “because I thought you might try shoplifting.”  
  
There was a brief pause as Dorian's eyebrows nearly raised to his hairline. He began chuckling softly, which gradually turned into more hearty laughter. Cullen had been so afraid that this would upset Dorian. Seeing that he had taken it so well, Cullen began to laugh along with him in relief.  
  
“Oh, Amatus.” Dorian placed a hand on Cullen's shoulder, still grinning widely. “I can't imagine how you possibly could have drawn that conclusion, but thank Heavens I accidentally managed to look like a thief.”  
  
He wrapped his arms around Cullen's neck, pulling him into a slow, lingering kiss. As they pulled away, Dorian nodded to the box in Cullen's hands. “Your turn.”  
  
Cullen quickly opened the small box, and as soon as he saw its contents, his face turned a bright shade of pink.  
  
“This is only part one of your gift,” Dorian explained as he reached into the box and pulled out a pair of dark, satin panties. “I'll have part two ready in just a minute.” He gave Cullen a sly wink as he took the lingerie with him into their bedroom, closing the door behind him.  
  
In that moment, Cullen could not have been more grateful for trusting his gut instinct the moment Dorian walked into his store.

**Author's Note:**

> So. Hah. I started writing this on my phone, actually, while I was bored at work. Because that's how much I have no life. I write fanfics about work. While I'm at work. And I am still terrible at titles, whups oh well.


End file.
